Predictors of Children’s Self-Care Performance: Testing the Theory of Self-Care Deficit

Abstract

Orem’s theory of self-care deficit proposes relationships between self-care performance and (a) basic conditioning factors, (b) self-care agency, and (c) dependent-care agent performance. The purpose of this study was to examine these proposed relationships in children. The study sample was composed of 414 students in grades 4 through 12, ages 9 through 18 years. Using regression analyses, study findings were that the variables chosen to represent the basic conditioning factors together accounted for 19% of the variance in children’s self-care performance. Separately, both age and health state were significant predictors. Additionally, when self-care agency was added to the regression model, the combination accounted for 36% of the variance. A correlational analysis showed a moderate relationship between a child’s self-care performance and her or his mothers’ dependent-care agent performance. Future research should continue to investigate Orem’s theories and the operationalization of the concepts.